I am no longer acknowledging that Rob Johnson is posting on this thread because none of his posts are relevant to the purpose of this thread (answering questions about the University of Illinois School of Law posed by prospective students). Furthermore, many of his statements have been totally inaccurate thus far, so I am not even going to dignify the rest of them with a response. Again, thank you for your concern about our future jobs Rob, but it is time to take it somewhere else.

Wow, you look just like her.

And yeah, ignore that stuff - it's a solid school and I'm very interested to find out more as it's one of the better ones I have a shot at some money from - and I did undergrad in Chicago so really would consider going back.

1) I believe you mentioned working to Indy. How does UIUC do in other nearby (relative) markets beyond Chicago such as Indy and St. Louis?

2) Are all the ladies at UIUC as cute as you? I figure it could adjust the debate in the thread going about law school attractiveness.

1) University of Illinois does well in nearby markets. We had St. Louis and Indianapolis firms come to our school to interview students for OCI, and I know for a fact that people were offered summer jobs from some of these firms. Of course, there are far far far more Chicago firms than firms from other midwest markets. St. Louis and Indianapolis draw a lot of their hires out of Wash. U and the two IU schools, but they will still hire our students. Illinois has a great reputation with Chicago firms and MOST (I believe around 80% or more) of our alumni end up in Chicago/Chicagoland. Also, Chicago is one of the top three largest legal markets in the nation.

I was wondering about scholarships and financial aid. I know that U of I is actually very good about this, but for those students who would be in-state students, do they have to go out and get private loans from banks would you know? Or does the university help with scholarships and financial aid enough?

They are VERY good at giving scholarships here. I know many people with in-state scholarships as well so I wouldn't count yourself out for that either. As for loans, EVERYONE has them.. Even if they have scholarships. You can't work, and you have to account for living expenses and everything else. There might be a handful of people out there with full rides and/or a bunch of help from their parents, but law school tuition is so high it is impossible for the other 98% of people in law school to attend without taking out any loans. It is like that everywhere. That is part of the reason why people are so obsessed with getting these biglaw jobs, even if they don't really want to do biglaw. When you are staring at 150k to 200k of debt, it is pretty daunting and you want to pay it off as quickly as possible. This is probably also why 80% of people who work biglaw leave within the first 5 years. (Again, I am speaking in general terms and not just about Illinois here.)

In any case, if you have ever taken out loans through FAFSFA for undergrad, it is basically the same process. You just have to take out private loans in addition to your government loans through FAFSFA. I believe they are called grad plus loans. The school will give you all of the information. I am pretty positive that the grace period is shorter to pay these back after you graduate, and I think the interest rate may be a little higher as well. The maximum amount of government loans you can take out is 20,500. Their total estimated cost for tuition, fees, room and board, books, and other expenses is 52,693 for in-state and 59,673 for out of state (33,000 tuition in-state and 40,0000 out). Again,they are REALLY good with scholarships. I think all law schools put people in mountains of debt which is why we are willing to work biglaw and 60-90 hour weeks for a handful of years to get out of it. I guess there are also some who loved the biglaw experience and want to stay there for the rest of their lives, but I haven't met any. : )

I just want to say, this is really great (all the info you guys have here). It's really nice of you all to take time and answer questions...I just recently read about UIUC when Hook 'Em mention it in the URM 09-10 Cycle thread, and have been researching it almost compulsively since then...and the more i see, the more smitten i am!!

Space_Cowboy wrote:Anyone know what percentage of 2Ls have (paying) jobs lined up for next summer?

0.0%.

OK, from what I've read on xoxo and other sites from actual UIUC students biglaw offer % was around 10%, which is similar to other schools ranked around what UIUC is. But feel free to scream "FLAME" and point out and tell yourselves that the number is closer to everyone either making it into biglaw or into the almost nonexistent "midlaw" (probably anything 50+ attorneys in Chicago) this year. Personally, I would be surprised if most of c/o 2011 from UIUC (as well as similarly ranked schools, and obviously lower ranked schools as well) even gets into shitlaw and doesn't have trouble repaying their loans absent a huge recovery in the economy in the next year (and even then c/o 2011 is pretty screwed since biglaw only hires 2Ls SA, which 90% of the class at UIUC didn't get, and 2Ls at UIUC that think they are going to clerk are delusional).

So I wanted to resurrect this thread in case any of you have questions. I am actually a 2L now. There are other 1Ls and 2Ls who will answer questions on this thread though too. I have been getting PM questions and thought it would benefit others to answer questions on the thread. Of course feel free to PM me with any questions as well.

I know the COL open house stuff is coming up soon. Is anyone coming for the March 5, admitted students day?

hkm6315 wrote:So I wanted to resurrect this thread in case any of you have questions. I am actually a 2L now. There are other 1Ls and 2Ls who will answer questions on this thread though too. I have been getting PM questions and thought it would benefit others to answer questions on the thread. Of course feel free to PM me with any questions as well.

I know the COL open house stuff is coming up soon. Is anyone coming for the March 5, admitted students day?

what is the attire for tne day? how do people usually dress for these events?Also, if any of u have ever been to a U of I COL open house, what were your impressions? What did u like most/least about the event? Did it change your opinion of the school? thanks!

^People dress to the extreme on both ends of the spectrum: some come in a suit and others super casual. It doesn't really matter, but I would say dressing up business casual wouldn't hurt. I think when I went I wore slacks and a sweater.

The night out afterwards at Jupiter's (for March 5th) is really fun and I would definitely recommend going! The night out for me was the deciding factor. Everyone was so friendly, laid back, and easy to talk to. People who were actual law students at the COL were more than willing to talk to me and answer any/all of my questions. I will be at the night out and probably the panel that afternoon as well, so feel free to say hi or ask me anything.

Lots of good info in this thread, thank you all UIUC students who have taken time to post. Still waiting on a lot of apps coming back but I am very pleased with the acceptance and scholly offer Dean Pless was kind enough to send me. I am guessing I could be happy there.

First questions:

Any comment on the intramural sports? Obviously not a big deal in the grand scheme, but I recall Dean Pless talking it up when he was posting here.

How are the criminal clinic offerings?

Ron Zook? Really? I remember being so happy when we fired that guy at Florida.

Thanks for taking questions. Do you know how well UIUC places in CA, particularly southern CA? I am mostly interested in PI jobs, so cost of attendance is a huge factor, and UIUC would be almost free (thanks for the scholarship Dean Pless).

hkm6315 wrote:^People dress to the extreme on both ends of the spectrum: some come in a suit and others super casual. It doesn't really matter, but I would say dressing up business casual wouldn't hurt. I think when I went I wore slacks and a sweater.

The night out afterwards at Jupiter's (for March 5th) is really fun and I would definitely recommend going! The night out for me was the deciding factor. Everyone was so friendly, laid back, and easy to talk to. People who were actual law students at the COL were more than willing to talk to me and answer any/all of my questions. I will be at the night out and probably the panel that afternoon as well, so feel free to say hi or ask me anything.

hkm is right, people come out with the full spectrum, but i think theres a bit better of a feeling coming overdressed/ more formal than being under dressed, so id recommend business casual where you'll look sharp but not be too overdressed. for guys that can be a shirt & tie without a suit, or maybe a suit without the tie (you know the top button undone) kinda look.for the evening out, feel free to dress a lot more casual - you don't want to be one of the few people walking into the bar wearing a suit.As hkm mentioned, the evening out is a lot of fun, especially when you have a chance to meet with your fellow TLS members ahha. I met hkm at my 1L reception last year and its a good way to end a long day - and the law school usually covers food & part of the bar tab so its really fun. And the night doesn’t have to end there, I ended up going out with some 2L’s to see the campustown atmosphere after the social, so I’d definitely recommend going to Jupiters.

Lonagan wrote:Any comment on the intramural sports? Obviously not a big deal in the grand scheme, but I recall Dean Pless talking it up when he was posting here.

Lonagan, ill help handle that question. There's a wide range of sports available at Illinois, some within the law school and a lot with the campus itself. Within the law school, theres a softball league, basketball league, as well as darts if you want to count that. From time to time theres other sports like lawschool/mba bowling league as well.As far as intramural sports, all of the Campus Rec sports are available to law students, such as basketball, soccer, indoor and outdoor soccer, flag football, ice hockey and even broomball. There's a good list of the activites on the REC website here http://www.campusrec.illinois.edu/intramurals/ as far as organization of teams, the COL admissions staff does a good job of selecting applicants that tend to have a broad range of talents, so it won't be difficult at all to find a bunch of people that want to join in on an intramural team. right now i'm on an intramural indoor soccer team of law students, and we also play pick-up soccer when the weather is nice (when there isnt snow on the ground). I also know a bunch of friends that have put together a broomball team as well as a few basketball teams, some guys have organized to go play racquetball, so i guess the only problem you'll have with intramurals, is choosing which ones to join - especially when you are signed up for darts, competitions, & other student organizations! I hope that helps!

I would have to disagree with you. Most of our profs are graduates from amazing schools and are really strong and amazing. I am also not sure who the "they" is that told you to give up on your dream because there was no chance of biglaw. But the "they" is wrong. Yes, in past years it has consistently been at least that much that go into biglaw.. But I don't think it was them being shady if those numbers are a little lower, they are lower at EVERY LAW SCHOOL because we are in an economic downturn nationwide and I would say that 2Ls now got hit with the worst of it. That being said, I am an actual 2L and actually know a GOOD number of people who have jobs with biglaw. So I would definitely not say that it is a lost cause for your class... Maybe it is if you made a few Cs and B-s and are in the bottom half, but top half to top 1/3 (and especially top 1/3) has a good shot. You guys are still going to have a ton of biglaw firms at your OCI next summer, and the top 1/3 people who really want biglaw and interview well will probably get jobs. Again, not sure who was telling you that biglaw is over at Illinois... But it is not at all accurate information. Yes, the economy is terrible right now and many in our class have had to get a little more creative with our job searches, but I think things will be better for your OCI. I already saw in the law bulletin that there are a few firms interviewing 1Ls for summer biglaw jobs who had cut their programs down last summer and backed out of our 2L OCI, but now have things picking back up for them and are looking to hire.

Yes tuition can be steep, but it can be steep everywhere... And Illinois is really good about scholarships to offset this... As for your class having more uptight people, I would say that just by nature of there being 50 more people you are going to get a handful more of uptight people. But for the most part your class seems really fun, laid back, and balanced. It seems like you guys have 1L theme parties at someones house a few times a month, have a good number of people who go out to softball or beer league darts every week, and I always see a bunch of 1Ls at all of the SBA parties having a good time.

As for Peer's Pub, I am bitter about that too lol. I experienced the last year of that and it was really fun having our profs be the bartenders and serve us beer from a keg every week. But honestly, what other law school would have even done that for as long as Illinois did? Serving beer in a law school pavilion every week can be a huge liability, and I am sure it was a liability that the University was not thrilled with having... The school and SBA still hosts parties, bar reviews, bar crawls, and nights out.. But I do understand the legal reasons for having to get rid of beer in the lobby..

I would say that at least half (maybe more) of the student body participate in either beer league darts, law school softball, or basketball. Those are the three big ones here and as Mako said, there are other things too. We are also a few block away from ARC, the largest university gym in the country that was just finished being renovated about a year and a half ago.

As for the clinic offerings, I have not personally taken them yet, but I have had people rave about the clinics here. There is an appellate defender clinic, domestic violence clininc, and then there is the externship program-which is not a clinic- where a lot of people will work in criminal courts and get class credit for their summer internship. I interned in a domestic violence court last summer for class credit. PLUS we have Professor Leipold who is an amazing criminal law teacher, and everyone raves about his class. I am in his criminal procedure class right now and it is awesome.

Lonagan wrote:Lots of good info in this thread, thank you all UIUC students who have taken time to post. Still waiting on a lot of apps coming back but I am very pleased with the acceptance and scholly offer Dean Pless was kind enough to send me. I am guessing I could be happy there.

First questions:

Any comment on the intramural sports? Obviously not a big deal in the grand scheme, but I recall Dean Pless talking it up when he was posting here.

How are the criminal clinic offerings?

Ron Zook? Really? I remember being so happy when we fired that guy at Florida.

One of the comments I’ve noticed quite often is how the law school is on the edge of campus. While geographically it isn’t as close to the quad as one might be looking for, I don’t think you need to feel that its on the edge, it all really depends how you choose to interact with it. Our lunch breaks are an 1 hour and 45 minutes, which gives you plenty of time to walk around and enjoy the rest of campus. I tend to go out for lunch at least once a week with some buddies, so we’ll walk across campus, have some lunch, and see what’s happening around green st. Its possible to feel like the law school is on the edge if you choose to live far off campus and commute everyday directly into the school, spend all your time at the school and then head directly home, but myself I walk home through campus every day, and often weekends are split between downtown bars and campus bars so i've never felt that our location is isolated. Additionally, whats really nice is that there’s a number of bus routes that run frequently right in front of the law school, which can also take you to the center loop in the middle of campus within a minute or two if you are too lazy to walk the 10 minutes.